Some Doctors Still make Housecalls [Jada]

It seemed like Talian's entire life consisted of mixed emotions these days. He walked slowly, bag in hand and eyes set straight ahead, thinking about everything that had befallen him as he walked. He knew he'd held a lot of uncalled for anger at the weyrlings from the last clutch - Jada in particular- but realizing that didn't do much to calm his nerves.

He'd avoided her for a long time now. They'd talked that one time, locked in his room late one night. They'd talked, they'd brushed topics Talian wished to avoid, and he'd been spooked. He wasn't sure why such an obvious traitor desired his friendship so badly, and Krypth's bossy attitude early on had soured him towards a particular dragon when he didn't much care for even the friendliest one in those days.

Things had changed, though. Talian no longer despised the creatures as he once had, and some part of him acknowledged that in terms of his day to day life, he was freer and happier than he likely would have been at home. That would never excuse the cruelties against him, but it helped him sleep at night, and it kept him from jumping at his own shadow.

He'd traded Jada's case off to another healer after that night. He hadn't spoken to her since then, and Krypth's enthusiasm and Jada's evil expression the day before had almost encouraged the young man to keep up the trends. He got to thinking about it, though, and well...maybe it was guilt, not so much about his disagreements with her as his wholesale avoidance. She was a patient, after all, and Talian had treated all sorts of people he didn't like. This was his job, and possibly the last days in which he'd be able to perform it. Who knew what would happen when those cursed eggs hatched.

Fellis perched politely on the healer's shoulder, crooning softly as they neared her door. Talian cleared his throat and knocked.

Though it had been just a little over a turn and a half since Krypth was Hatched, Jada's arms still tingled and gave the occasional bit of trouble. Her fingers would tingle at times, go numb. Her arms would ache, would tingle. So she exercised them, worked on her manual dexterity. The wounds had healed well, though the scars were not appealing. Still, at least she was alive and well. Not dead, with half-rotted arms. For some time after the accident, she had dealt with Talian personally. Then, after the last Clutching, she'd spoken with him late. When she'd hurt her ankle. And their appointments had ceased. Not a problem, really, considering seeing the Masterhealer was primarily a courtesy instead of a necessity. Yet another piece of fluff to make people think she meant more than she did.

The goldrider groaned and rolled in her blankets, peering about her hut blurrily. The hut was larger than the room she had grown accustomed to in the Weyrling barracks, but the bedroom piece of it felt smaller. After all, Krypth's hollow was outside now, not inside. Pushing the cover off her body, bare feet pressed to the cool floor, and she pushed herself to her feet. She was so tired this morning. Krypth had kept her running about until late in the evening, and she had come home and buried her head under a pillow and slept. Now, mussed and dishevelled, she stumbled her way into the social room, and then to the kitchen.

Klah. Klah first, then dressing. Then a bath, food, and back to the Sands. Where was Tsereni? No one had brought her by yet? How odd. Had she missed it? Did no one knock? Jada scratched her thigh, pressed fingers into the back of her neck, rubbing from the base of the skull to the top of her spine. And where was Klah? She whistled for the brown, then felt Krypth's assurance that the firelizard was with her. Of course. The lizard would like Krypth more than Jada. Just couldn't win in a popularity contest there, could she? After all, Jada couldn't lay eggs.

The sound of a knock on her door made Jada jump in surprise. "Just a moment." she called, and got the klah started. Into her room, and she pulled pants on under her tunic top, then to the door, where she opened it to see- "Talian?" she blinked at him fuzzily, surprise etched in her expressive face. "Come in." Oh, her house was a mess. "I just put klah on. The drink that is. Would you like some? Sorry it is messy, I haven't been at home much." That was a dress on her floor. Fabulous. The Healer was like to think she was a slob.

Talian didn't notice her disheveled state of undress. He smiled, though it was a wary and somewhat hollow smile. Fellis cheeped the smallest greeting and pressed himself closer to Talian's neck as the pair stepped inside.

"Sorry for the short notice. Your regular therapist told me they'd scheduled the appointment early to make time for something else they had to do this afternoon, but I didn't see any point in changing it," he said. He was still stiff and rigid, impersonal. It was hard not to look at her without thinking about that bad evening that now seemed so long ago. Strange to think how quickly the healer's life had improved shortly thereafter. It hadn't been long since he spoke to B'jin about his suicide attempt, since he started to get his footing back...

Oh, he'd ignored her question. He paused and let out a mild laugh. "I'm sorry. Sure, I would love some..." he said. He reached up to stroke Fellis. The little creature could sense his apprehension, but he was good for Talian. The healer had to stay strong to keep his little friend calm and happy.

"How has your arm been,  Jada?" Talian finally asked, his tone softening ever so slightly.

He looked as awkward as she felt, and she watched the little firelizard press himself into the Healer's neck. "Hello." she replied to the firelizard's cheep, and made note of his presence.

"No worries, Talian. I didn't mean to sleep as late as I did, so it is good you came when you did. I appreciate you taking the time to see me." She shifted uncomfortably and padded on bare feet back to the kitchenette area, checking on the liquid. Pulling out a blade, she tested it, then cut a piece of fruit into slices and broke up the meat roll she had left over from dinner yesterday, meant to be her breakfast this morning. Which she had missed. Perhaps Fellis would appreciate a little bit of a snack.

"Just a bit longer on the klah." she told him, and sat down in a seat across from the Healer, setting the plate of sliced fruit and meat roll down on the tiny table and grabbing a piece of the fruit. "If you'd like something." A chew. A swallow. A bite. A chew. A swallow.

At last she had to answer the man's question, and Jada did so with little hesitancy. "The arm has been well enough. I've few enough moments of numbness anymore, and the marks are more ugly than painful."

Talian seated himself, watching as Jada left the room and returned with sliced fruit and a little treat for Fellis. The creature remained mistrustful, watching Jada was worried yellow eyes. "Don't mind him," Talian said with a shake of his head. "He's frightened of everyone. It's not just you."

He frowned immediately. "That came out wrong," he said, lifting one thin finger in self-admonishment. Shards! Why did he always have to make every awkward situation even more awkward?! He pouted a little bit and folded his hands in his lap, fiddling with his fingers as he always did.

"....That's good, though," he said afterwards, thankful to have a medical topic to fall back on. He reached out with both hands, gesturing lightly to see her arm. He hardly trusted any other healers in his damn place to do anything right, so while he was inclined to trust her word at least to a degree, he would absolutely be looking at that wound himself as well, thank you very much!

"I'm sorry it's been so long. I took on too much work a while back," he said, nose wrinkling at the thought. Nope, not talking about it. "...I apologize for shifting you to someone else, though. That was unprofessional of me, and I apologize..."  Fellis let out a chirp for emphasis before pressing his snout into Talian's lengthening brown hair.

Jada smiled at the little firelizard as his eyes whirled at her, bright yellow with concern and anxiety. "It's alright. I'm used to it." she said it mildly, not even pointing the jab at Talian. Though it was interesting how similar the man was to the lizard he had Impressed. "Children are rather cautious when faced with strangers at first, and I was a teacher." She missed her craft, though she was fully free to maintain a bit of it here. It was just that Krypth was so sharding demanding when she was on the Sands, and goodness knew if she would maintain this rapid pace of Flight, Clutch, Hatch, Flight... Hopefully it was because of her youth. A little backwards, though.

Oh! Right, she had a guest.

Lazily, Jada's eyes followed Talian's fingers as they fiddled with the air, then reached out towards her, gesturing for her to pass him her arms. She did so without complaint or comment, peering at the wounds she saw daily with curiosity, as though she never paid them any mind and this was her first time seeing them. Now, from the eyes of a Healer, what might the scars look like? A bit red, but no longer raw. Starting to whiten some around the edges, the skin tight and puckery. Ish.

"I know all too well what it is to take on too much work. I used to do it all the time when I was in the Hall. Do this, someone would say, and yes'm it was. Do this, says another, and yes'm it is. One thing, then another, then chores, then lessons, then another thing I said yes to, and the next thing I know I haven't slept in three days, I've been late to all my classes, and I'm falling out a window."

Though that had only happened once.

Talian listened patiently to her story, pleased to hear her speak. It took some of the tension out of the air and in an odd way, it helped him focus. "It looks like it's healed well," he remarked after a period of silence. "The scarring can be reduced with special salves, but it will always be slightly sunken-in. I had to remove too much flesh from your arm," he explained. "If you'd like, I can mix the salve for you. It will take around six months of twice-daily applications, but Id say it could reduce the visibility of your scars by half at least..."

Talian liked good news. He smiled, a much more wholesome and legitimate smile this time. He released her and reached up to pet Fellis again, a gesture which had largely replaced many of his other nervous habits. That suited Fellis just fine.

Tal knew he and Jada had a troubled history that needed correcting, but shard it he didn't know what to say. He deflated a bit and slumped miserably back in his seat, his professional demeanor melting away now that the serious matter of her wound was finished. He scowled.

"It's been a while, hasn't it, Jada?" Talian said dejectedly. "I still think about it sometimes. You caught me on a weird night." He sighed a bit. "I'm sorry, though. " He could have poured his heart out, but screw that. Instead he just gave her a lopsided smile. "..Krypth really wanted me to like her eggs, huh...?" Shards, the hatching was so close...

Amber eyes took in the sight of her scars, considering. "I appreciate the offer." Her voice was soft and warm as she spoke to the man, not looking at him but at her arms. "I'm going to have to say at this point, however, that I'm not interested in the salve. They aren't attractive, but they will remind me not to be as foolish as I was to cause myself this damage in the first place. A lesson hard-earned, and painful." With long-reaching fingers.

He released her, smiled, and Jada stood up. "I'm going to get the klah," she said softly, not sure what to sy about the look on his face. It was... one she wasn't used to seeing on him. She'd seen his anger, intimately close and painful to behold. She'd seen agony, annoyance, fear, concern. But not.... defeat?

Coming back into the room with the klah, his scowl was back. "It's been almost 8 months," she said mildly, "Or near as I can count. Then again I've never been one for hard maths." It had been a strange evening all in all, and stressful for everyone, with the whipping of Sanderon, and Lymsleia's little act of rebellion, and then her ankle, and Krypth's first Hatching and Clutching right there, and... she set the cups down on the table.

And the things that Talian had insinuated in his anger, which had shaken her more than anyone had been told. "You have nothing to be sorry about." she assured him, instinctively reaching out her hand- and pulling it back just as quickly as it went out. "Krypth is very proud of her clutch." she said after a moment, following the words up with a smile. "And she is very friendly. It's hard for her to remember she makes you so uncomfortable." A one-shouldered shrug and wry smile. "I am sorry about yesterday. I shouldn't have abandoned you to her."

When Jada instinctively offered her hand. Talian found himself unconsciously doing the same. When she snapped her hand back, the alarmed healer did the same. He turned away slightly, embarrassed that he was so poor at making such simple gestures, and slowly let his breath escape his chest.

"It's all right. I've had a lot of strange ups and downs, I know," he said, frowning pointedly. "I know I took a lot of my anger out on you, and..." What was he trying to say? He still wasn't confident that they would ever be close friends, but it wasn't even a possibility if he continued to keep himself closed off. He figured the best he could do was be honest. "I don't know, Jada. I'm not very good at making friends. I know you never meant me any harm, though."

His voice softened as he spoke, and his equally soft eyes were downcast. What else could he do? He remained uncertain, but he was trying to move on with his life. In some cases, that had meant letting things go. In other cases, it meant trying to fix them.

She had reacted too quickly; it was obvious when she saw (too late! Too late!) that Talian had reached out his hand to her as well. It was a good sign, she realized with some surprise; a positive gesture, even though he turned away from her gaze and the twisting that slid across her face. Hastiness. She had been hasty! Instead, she set out the cup, pouring some of the liquid into it and watching the steam unfurl. Another cup, for herself, and she repeated the little ritual, letting the silence grow between the two of them.

"Well," she said finally, lamely, "It's been a rough time." For everyone. "I don't mind you using me to vent, if it helped at all." If it hadn't, she didn't want to know that she'd been his verbal punching bag for no reason. "I don't want to hurt you. Didn't. Well. I like you, Talian, and I think under different- I mean- Oh." She gave a helpless little laugh, wry and self-deprecating.

Instead, she sighed. "We could start over, perhaps? If I recall correctly, our 'hello' was over a girl bleeding out on the Sands, and then while you dosed me up on fellis, so we never got much of an opportunity to get to know each other."

The klah smelled good. Fellis chirped, fluttering his wings lightly and giving Talian's earlobe the gentlest of tugs. Daddy liked this warm liquid, right? It always made him feel so warm inside. Please, Daddy? Have some?

Talian bit his lip and lifted the cup, sipping at it lightly in spite of the heat. It was a little too hot, but he didn't mind. He often started on it far too soon, and his mouth was used to the punishment. He took a moment to absorb the warm and let out a relaxed sigh before leaning back loosely in his seat, almost limp.

"Under different circumstances?" he asked, completing the first part of her sentence for her and lifting a curious brow. He had no idea where she was going with that, but were he a bit more socially savvy he might have guessed. Instead he just deflated a little, feeling a fool for allowing his own emotions to run wild for so long. He was a very different person now than he'd been the last time he spoke with Jada.

Fellis chirped, head popping up in response to his name. Talian laughed lightly, just as he had the last time such a thing had happened. "He knows his name," he said lightly, tenderly amused and so preoccupied with rewarding his little friend for the response that he almost missed the next part.

Start over. He frowned a little bit. He wasn't sure if he knew how to start over, but the negative sentiment was aimed more at himself than at her. She was waving an olive branch, and here was was concerned about whether or not it bore thorns! He eventually let out a pained laugh at his own misgivings and righted himself, back straightening almost too much and expression gradually lightening.

"I would like that," he admitted. "You have to forgive me, though....I have a hard time getting past things." His voice was weak and his throat was tight. He took another drink of klah and exhaled. Fellis crooned softly and nosed his cheek. "But you're right. I don't know much about you, and you don't know much about me."

He frowned again. "...I do know that you're the one caring for D'ren's child, though. I suppose you deserve to know a little more about his condition. Tsuen has been tight-lipped about it..."

Shards, he hated that woman.

When Talian finished her sentences, it was a bit of a relief for Jada. Her laugh was a nervous sound, an expelling of air like a sigh. Yes. Different circumstances. Katila seemed to be a big pile of needing different circumstances. His eyebrow rose and she buried her face in her klah cup, pulling her legs up towards her chest and peering at him over the combined defensive shield of legs and cup.

The blue firelizard chirped, and Jada's lips twitched. "I named mine klah." she said, waggling the cup. "My favorite drink, my favorite boy. You're a lovely boy too, aren't you?" It came out a coo, even as she put down her legs, lifted up a piece of the roll, and waggled it temptingly at the blue firelizard. "Mmm, nummies. Come here, Fellis. Would you like some nummies?" He probably wouldn't come to her- it had taken Klah a little bit to understand what nummies meant. Not to trust her, but then there was a bit of an Impression between herself and the Firelizard that wasn't there in this interaction.

Indivara's Blood Sucker and.... and her poor Gold (Jada still couldn't bring herself to say the name aloud, sometimes) also liked it when Jada mentioned nummies. Pushing the thought away, the Harper glanced at Talian through her lashes, biting at the inside of her lip due to his frown. Was it a bad idea of hers, really? Starting over wasn't a fix-all, but it was something to push through in a situation that was awkward. And when he laughed, it was like a weight had been lifted from her chest.

"Well," she said with a little humor, "If we are very sneaky, maybe we can wiggle past without it noticing." her voice was light, steeped in humor. "And we have a little time left to learn about each other." Hopefully just a little longer. She'd been dropped hints about going home since Krypth first rose. And if Krypth maintained her rate of Rising? And with Nirinath and the new little queen, and maybe even another-! It could be soon, and Talian would be able to go home, and Jada... wouldn't. But she would be able to see her family, and that would make it just a little bit better.

"Tsereni." Mention of the ailing Weyrleader dragged Jada from her musings. "Tsuen has been tight-lipped, you're right. I've been allowed in to see him a little, but... no one will say his status, or say anything more than that he was... apparently poisoned." What a terrifying thought... If it could happen to D'ren, it could happen to anyone. Tsuen. Jada herself. S'kef. One of the other ridwers- all of the other riders! "It's turning into a hunt out there."

Fellis chirped a second time, eyes locking mistrustfully onto the offered food. The fire lizard ruffled his wings and crept forward, nostrils quivering as he sniffed. It smelled so good! But she was so scary! The little creature looked imploringly at Talian, begging silently for Daddy to solve the conundrum.

Talian smiled, then reached out to gently take the food himself. "Sorry about that," he said as he lowered the morsel to Fellis, who promptly began gnawing away at it. "Fellis is rather nervous around other people but he's getting better. Oncewe see each other a couple times, he'll warm up to you." That was how it worked with Valerian and B'jin, though the latter's discomfort around fire lizards made that a slow process to say the least.

"A little time left," Talian repeated, his bitterness visible underneath his strained effort at civility. He remained cynical of Katila and the motives of it's leaders. He didn't expect to ever be released, and he was starting to get the nagging, paranoid fear that he would Impress...that would really ruin everything. Talian wilted a bit, but it was fitting considering the following topic.

The healer frowned. "D'ren is alive, and at this point it looks like he's going to survive," he said. "His condition is stable, but his stomach and throat linings are having a hard time recovering. It's too early to tell, but it seems like he may have chronic trouble once he's recovered."

He frowned a bit more. "Of course, it would be easier to tell if I could see him myself."

As Talian leaned forward to take the food, instead of the brown, Jada relinquished it with a sigh. Eventually, perhaps! He really was a precious little thing. "Maybe next time he'll get to meet Klah. That might put him a little more at ease." She leaned back with a smile, and considered the way that the two of them has named their lizards. "Fellis. A Healer's very good friend, and Klah- a Harper's good friend, especially when she has a deadline." Not that Jada seemed to have those anymore. It was both good and bad. And tedious.

She reached out to Talian, patting his hand as she heard the note of malcontent in his voice. There was nothing she could say to his loss. She couldn't judge him, and she couldn't explain. The Harper might not be... her brow furrowed, and she considered her thought carefully. She might not be happy here, but she was not miserable either. It wasn't as fulfilling in some ways as she had envisioned a brilliant future in Harpercraft, but she had gained the acquaintance of such interesting people. As a Harper, she may never have met Indivara, or gotten to know Valerian as more than that pretty boy she'd had a crush on when she was a child. She would have never gotten to amuse herself by listening to Erisi's griping in class, or met R'nd, and the gentle lunkhead B'jin. And she never would have gotten to meet D'ren, a father-like figure to her. Never met Krypth, who brought out the best and the worst in her.

When the Healer spoke at last, his mouth curved in a frown, she found herself hanging on his words. D'ren was going to live? It was one of the best things that she had heard all day. All sevenday. Yet as his words sank in, she felt herself stiffen, gut twisting. "Chronic problems?" Stomach? Throat lining? "What could that mean, exactly? No running and jumping for a long time, obviously." She was trying to make light of it, but she knew her voice was shaking, that her face was pale. Chronic problems could mean that D'ren would be unable to continue... that S'kef would remain Weyrleader. Not necessarily a terrible thing, but with the way he paraded his- oh. Oh dear, she was getting as bad as Krypth, getting ready to shoot daggers at someone who had done her no harm.

"It's not like you can do any more harm than has already been done." She shoved to her feet, picking up the warm pot of klah with nerveless fingers. "you're the Master Healer. They should let you." Her voice was fierce and helpless. "And you are the only one who will tell me anything." she confessed, setting the pot back down. She had lifted it- to do something. To keep her hands busy. "I'm the next best thing to useless. And it is miserable."

"It's nothing you did," Talian assured her, voice soft as his eyes shifted down to his fire lizard. Fellis cheeped again, once more in response to his name, and set bright eyes on Jada. As Talian gradually relaxed in her presence, Fellis too seemed to grow more comfortable. As the conversation continued, he gradually uncurled and walked bravely onto Talian's knee, perching preciously as he watched Jada. Talian scratched his neck, watching with endearment as Fellis fanned his wings and purred with pleasure.

"It means ulceration and pain for the rest of his life," Talian explained bluntly. "He will likely need to stay on pain medication, and stress is likely to stir up very real problems. If the acid in his stomach gets too active, he could have real complications," he said. "It will be controllable, but taking care of it will be a serious task for him."

He sighed a bit and shook his head. "No one has been told anything, really. I had to find this out second-hand, and I'm sure I'm not supposed to know. Tsuen and S'kef have been highly secretive about it all," he said. He frowned at her final comment. Useless?

"I thought you were still teaching," Talian commented lightly. Fellis, having finally become brave, jumped from Talian's knee to the table and started delicately prowling towards Jada. "I always loved and respected my teachers back at the Hall..most of them, at least." He frowned a little bit. "I've been asked more than once to train some of the weyrbrats here, but I refuse." This place didn't deserve his skills. Well, except  Andi. Precious little thing, but Talian was starting to wonder if she had the stuff. He'd been much further along at her age!

Jada's face twisted as Talian spoke of the pain that D'ren would be suffering for the rest of his life. The man was kind! Such a sweet man, and now he would be tortured for the rest of his life. Someone had tried to kill him, and instead condemned him to suffering. It felt like her face was catching fire, and she tried to control it, clenched her fists into careful balls and dig her nails into the fleshy bits of her palm. It would do no good to show a temper. It wouldn't help D'ren, wouldn't help Talian, and wouldn't help her! Still, she could only control her reaction so far, and she was painfully aware of the fact she was terrible at hiding her feelings.

Cheeks flushed and eyes sparkling, she shook her head. "Keeping you away from him, it is like they don't want to help him at all!" As soon as the words spilled from her mouth, she regretted them. What a terrible thing to say! "I didn't mean that." she said quickly. And moving on, hoping he wouldn't choose to follow that slip of the tongue.

"I am teaching. Often, in fact, and it is fun. Krypth's been badgering me to let her join in on playing with the kids. She rather likes to be used as a jungle gym, but she is so grouchy and demanding when she's egg heavy." She watched the firelizard slide off of Talian's knee, and the adorable hesitancy of the little creature poked through some of Jada's conflicted shame and irritation and brought a brief smile to her face. "I shouldn't say useless. I've been busy." What was it? What was the-

Oh. "D'ren just spoiled me a lot, I suppose." He would patiently let her sit next to him and observe while she played little games of peekaboo with Tsereni. And he thanked her. "I just can't help him. This isn't a simple cold he needs to get over, where I can make him chicken soup and a get well soon note. And they've only let me go with Tsereni a couple of times, and I don't want to impose on S'kef when he's as busy as D'ren ever was, and without the turns of practice." Then again, he might have less turns, but he also didn't have a baby and a goldrider peering nosily over his shoulder.

Talian's expression hardened. "I wouldn't be surprised to learn that was the truth," he said. Tsuen seemed desperate enough over D'ren's condition, but her decision making was as bad as ever. S'kef, on the other hand, seemed much less interested. Talian frowned, knowing that Jada had been won twice by the man and seemed to like him well enough. She deserved to know the truth, though.

"S'kef isn't very concerned," Talian said, uttering the statement as fact based on what he'd seen. "He was cold to me during his illness, and he speaks very harshly to his mate sometimes. And..." Talian grew uncomfortable at the mention of J'ver, but he let it go. That was a long time ago now. "They're both really bad people, Jada. I even believe they're dangerous. And I'm...I'm convinced S'kef is entirely comfortable where he is right now, with no intention of letting it go..." He frowned, taking a long drink of his klah. "I don't know for sure, though."

"D'ren's condition will be manageable with medication. I'll help him if I can," Talian said. Hhe put one hand over his own stomach and sighed. "When I took Tansy, it was the worst pain  I've ever felt in my life," he continued, clinical and detached, as if he was talking about someone else. However, his voice took on a profound softness and intimacy at the next line. "I wouldn't wish it on anyone."

Not even the man who'd ordered him kidnapped.

He shook his head. "You should visit him," he said.

I wouldn't be surprised to learn that was the truth, he said, and Jada's breath hitched, suddenly feeling quite heavy in her chest. She hadn't expected to hear it come from him, though she should have. Uncharitably, she quite remembered that Talian was miserable here, so of course he would- no. That was quite unkind of her, and right after they had agreed to a fresh start! She shook her head at him, however.

"That doesn't make any sense, though." Her voice was plaintive. "S'kef may not be the nicest to everyone, but he'd worked with D'ren for so long. Why would he take on all that extra work, especially when he just, well..." Her voice dropped, almost shyly. "He just got into a relationship with that... J'ver, wasn't it? They're..." she twisted her pointer and middle fingers, the middle laying atop the shorter pointer finger. Not exactly a sexual gesture, but it got the point across. "Together."

It was a little painful to hear him lay it out so straight about S'kef being wicked. Really, what defined wicked? Surely, the Acting Weyrleader had to have some care for D'ren... he was just busy... wasn't he? But then why was Jada still not allowed to see him? For D'ren's mental health? If his physical condition would be manageable...

"Do you need pain medication for it?" she asked him, not even considering how personal the question was. The hope was still there. If Talian didn't need it, maybe D'ren wouldn't. Maybe he could take some time off to recover, and still be that friendly man and doting father to Tsereni...

It was natural for Jada to defend S'kef, he supposed. She'd worked with him and seemed to like him,  he'd won both of her flights, and presumably her virginity along with them. Talian figured he was equally preordained to dislike the man for his own reasons, but he wasn't keen on revealing them to Jada. He'd come very close in his room that night, but even after all this time he felt like it still wasn't his to tell. B'jn and Valerian knew, and that was all.

Ah, J'ver. It was interesting how Jada was more keen to place to blame on him. It was always the significant other who was blamed in such situations, where no one truly wanted to believe that someone was responsible for something that went against the preconceptions surrounding them. Jada didn't want to blame S'kef for these apparent cruelties, so she blamed J'ver. It was just like everyone blamed Tsuen for D'ren's misdeeds, in spite of his efforts to bring about the opposite view.

At least there was some truth in that.  S'kef, however, was wicked. Talian was sure of it. J'ver probably didn't help, though.

He sighed softly. He didn't answer her ramblings about S'kef, aside from offering a solemn nod in recognition of his...union with J'ver. A frown crossed his face and he finished off his klah, serious expression lingering as he moved to her next question.

"Me?" The question didn't seem to bother him. H thought back to the incident, which now felt so long ago. "I had to take pain medicine for around three months after. My throat and stomach lining were savaged, but it was controllable. D'ren's case is much worse than mine was, though." He paused, exhaling slowly. He was good at breaking bad news, at least.

"He could give himself serious complications if he overexerts himself or gets too stressed, so he'll need to really watch himself."  He didn't know D'ren well enough to know that asking him not to stress was like asking a canine not to bark. "He'll probably need to stay on medication to remain comfortable, but the dosage can probably be lowered in time. It remains to be seen. For all we know, he could recover more easily than expected." Not likely, but it looked like Jada needed some hope. Talian wasn't willing to bend the truth to give it to her, but he'd give her what he could.

Jada chewed on her lower lip, pinching the flesh between her teeth until it gave way with a sharp shock of pain. Oh! Sucking it into her mouth, the Harper put pressure on the small wound, thinking. Sulking, it probably looked like, but that's what she got for worrying her mouth til she bit right through it. Oww.

She didn't want to think about S'kef being at fault for this. The man wasn't... nice... and he had a large number of flaws that she could see, objectively, but if he was rotten to the core he couldn't be as polite as he was, could he? Before Krypth she had been below his notice, however, so she had little enough to compare him to. And he'd hardly- apart from the obscene pleasure he'd- Faranth! It was making her head hurt, truly.  Jada huffed out air, brow furrowing.

Three months. Pain medication for three months, and D'ren's case was worse? Jada's mind whirled, and she opened her mouth, questions ready to spill over her tongue. Was that damage due to long-term ingestion? Did it have any uses other than as poison? Could it have been misapplied, grabbed in error? Of course, however, all these questions had surely been asked, but she wanted to know as well.

Information- knowledge- was power, and a step in the direction of knowing... who could have done this? Who would have been willing to do that to D'ren? Any angry Northerner... a rider who was hoping to step into the power void... NO!

"He could, but he won't. Everyone knows D'ren works too much. But he loves his daughter." Jada's thumb twitched, and she winced. "He'll calm it a bit, for her." Jada would make him. She would throw every guilt trip at him that she could to make sure Tsereni got the chance to know her father.

Talian didn't like D'ren, but he felt a sting of sympathy just the same. He knew how painful Tansy poisoning was, and the implications of a fatherless daughter made things even worse. Talian didn't know much about the fatherless daughter he'd left behind, just that she was exactly that. If things went poorly in the near future, she would probably remain that way for the entirety of her life.

He thought about it in passing sometimes. What would Fiora tell her? 'Your daddy was a genius'? 'Your daddy was murdered by your grandfather'? 'Your daddy abandoned us'? He supposed he'd never know, but that was largely his pessimism speaking. Even if he was unfortunate and Impressed, there was at least the chance of visiting one day...but wouldn't that be an intrusion? He wouldn't have wanted a father to come barging back into his life after turns of absence, no matter what the reason was or who was at fault.

All in all, Talian let it go. It was interesting to think about, though.

"I hope you're able to do that," Talian said in a light, crisp voice. He whistled softly and patted his knee, summoning Fellis back to him. The fire lizard chirped and snapped his head towards his bonded before hopping across the table and leaping obediently into the healer's lap. Talian stroked him lightly and smiled. Fellis was such a good little friend.

"I wish I could offer you more information. I've heard rumors that I'll be allowed near him again soon, but who knows.." he said, trailing off a bit. He exhaled softly, then rose to his feet. "I don't like him, Jada. But I do wish him the best just the same." He sighed a little bit, then reached for the herb bag he'd tucked into his pocket earlier, before leaving.

He dropped it on the table. "That's dried thymus. Put one crushed leaf in a cup of boiling water and let it steep, then once it's cooled, have him drink it. It'll help, much more than the crap they're giving him now." He smiled a little bit and nodded politely. "I've checked his charts; the dosage should be right for his weight and age. He won't end up like me," he said with the faintest hint of humor. No, D'ren wouldn't end up like him...in either context.

"Good day, Jada."

Talian whistled, and the little firelizard hopped back over to his partner, making Jada's lips quirk in a smile. "I appreciate you sharing what you could," Jada hastened to assure the Healer. "Every little bit counts, and it is a start." She brushed her hands over her lap, pushing away invisible specks. The action made her miss his deep breath, so the way he rose to his feet almost startled her.

Manners caught her quickly, and she followed him, straightening the clothing she wore in a nervous gesture. "I-" She didn't know what to say to the man's frank admission that he didn't like D'ren. She hadn't either, at first, but he'd grown on her, and now he was... a father figure. It was sad that not everyone had the opportunity to get to know the man as she had, but she'd just gotten lucky. "I have plenty of people I don't like myself," she confessed instead, and blinked uncomprehendingly at the small packet he dropped on her table.

Her face lit up as he told her what it was, and what it could be used for. Something small, that could help him? "Will it hurt anyone else, if they drink it with him?" she asked following him to the door. "I mean, if I share it with him?" She waited to open the door, hand hovering over the handle, waiting. "And- Talian-" She leaned in, brushing her lips boldly over his cheek, grateful. "Thank you. I appreciate it. And I owe you one."